adminI was looking at the ID of the corpse when Lao Yang suddenly asked me a question that startled me. I responded vaguely and continued to examine what I had in my hands.
From this brief diary entry, it seems this person arrived here three years ago, the same time Lao Yang and his group first entered. Could this person be part of Lao Yang’s crew? I thought for a moment, but it didn’t seem right. Although there were some similarities between the diary and what Lao Yang had said, most of it was different; they should be two different groups of people.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the name “Jie Ziyang” was familiar. The surname Jie is quite rare, so there shouldn’t be many people with the same name. Where had I heard it before?
I racked my brain, but too many strange things had happened recently, and my mind wasn’t working well. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t clear it up.
Continuing to go through his belongings, I didn’t find anything else of note. I put his diary away to examine it more closely later.
Lao Yang saw me squatting there in silence and thought something was wrong, so he called out to me. When I looked back, I saw half of his face squeezed into the gap, his eyes fixed on what I had in my hands. However, there was a blind spot between the rock and me; he couldn’t see me, but I could see him. He looked strange, as if he wanted to squeeze in.
I cursed under my breath, thinking that he had refused to come in earlier and was regretting it now. I said to him, “Don’t make a fuss. I found something interesting and I’m looking at it.”
Lao Yang frowned and hurriedly asked, “What did you find?”
I recounted to him how I discovered the corpse and sighed, saying, “This guy might be our fate. If we can’t find a way out, we might die even faster than he did. But I feel like this person’s name is somewhat familiar. Do you remember if we had any classmates with that name when we were kids?”
As I spoke, I stepped back to the giant rock, intending to pass the ID through the gap for him to see. But when I looked up, I was suddenly struck by the sight of Lao Yang’s face, which was completely drained of color, pale and staring fixedly at my face.
A strange feeling surged within me. What was going on? Why had his expression changed like that? Could it be that we really had a classmate named Jie Ziyang when we were kids?
I closed my eyes and thought about it, but I really couldn’t remember. Nowadays, relationships are so distant; I no longer recognized some of my college classmates, let alone those from childhood. Seeing that Lao Yang wasn’t speaking, I looked down at the ID number in my hand and said, “I really can’t remember, but this person is about our age—”
Just as I was saying this, a flash of lightning struck my brain, and I froze in place. Jie Ziyang, Jie Ziyang, Jie Ziyang, Jie Ziyang!
But wait, this name didn’t seem unfamiliar at all—this was Lao Yang’s real name!
My scalp tingled, and I almost shivered. I hurriedly looked closely at the birthday on the ID, and I felt dizzy. My God, it really was Lao Yang’s birthday! But this… this couldn’t be true. Could this ID actually belong to Lao Yang?
Then, did it mean that this corpse, which had decayed to bones, was Lao Yang…?
But that didn’t make sense. If Lao Yang had died here three years ago, then who was it that was looking at me from outside the rock?
My neck stiffened, and I turned my head mechanically to look at the half face peeking through the crevice in the rock. Suddenly, I felt a wave of inexplicable fear. Lao Yang’s face, illuminated by the flickering flashlight, appeared ghostly and eerie, resembling the massive black snake I had seen outside.
I involuntarily retreated deeper into the cave, not daring to approach the rock any closer, while Lao Yang remained motionless, staring at me intently. I didn’t say a word, standing there like a stone statue.
Given his temperament, he would surely scold me like a grandson if he saw me like this. Could it be that my identity was exposed, and I didn’t know how to react?
At that moment, my suspicion grew stronger. Although this person outside looked and acted like Lao Yang, he might not actually be him. The journey from Hangzhou to here flashed through my mind like a movie, each lie and evasive statement vividly replaying. The words he had said to me at the top of the bronze tree came back to me, and the doubts that had accumulated began to crystallize.
I had always believed that Lao Yang’s cunning couldn’t be this deep. First, our relationship meant he had no need to deceive me. Second, when he told those lies, they were so genuine that I would never have noticed if I weren’t overly cautious. However, in other respects, this person resembled Lao Yang too closely. I couldn’t find a single flaw. Despite my growing doubts, I still thought his personality had simply changed, never considering that he might not be Lao Yang at all.
At that moment, “Lao Yang” finally spoke. His face retreated into the shadows as he said to me, “Old Wu, I told you not to go in just now, but you wouldn’t listen. You can only blame your stubbornness. Haven’t you heard that knowing some things isn’t always a good thing?”
A chill ran down my spine, confirming my suspicions. I struggled to keep my voice steady as I asked, “You’re not Lao Yang… who exactly are you?”
Lao Yang let out a strange laugh. “Who am I? I am Lao Yang, Xie Ziyang, the one who grew up with you and spent three years in prison. If you don’t believe me, you can check my criminal record!”
I scoffed, “Nonsense! Lao Yang’s body is right next to me. He’s been dead for three years; he never went to prison. Who the hell are you?”
Half of “Lao Yang’s” face reappeared silently in the crevice of the rock, grinning ominously. “That’s right, he has been dead for three years, but I am alive. What’s the difference?”
Looking at his expression, I suddenly realized something. I furrowed my brow and then gasped, stammering, “What the hell, you’re not human! You… are you some sort of materialization of him—”
“Lao Yang” coldly snorted and said, “Why don’t you say he is a materialization of me? Who knows? I look just like him; who can tell which came first?”
I nearly lost control and picked up a stone to throw at him. His face flashed back, and he continued, “Old Wu, actually, I am exactly the same as him; you don’t need to mind.” I shouted, “Of course there’s a difference! Who knows what kind of power you used to materialize yourself into this form!”
“Old Yang” suddenly fell silent, his expression turning grim. He stared at me for a while and then said with a fierce sneer, “Shut the hell up! I am Old Yang. You’re just like him, so don’t blame me.”
I felt a sense of foreboding. Suddenly, a gun barrel poked through a gap. I quickly rolled into a dead corner. Old Yang fired a shot that hit the stone, chipping off a large piece. Then the gun was immediately aimed at my corner, and another shot rang out, the bullet barely grazing my neck.
The gap was too small; even with a dead corner, it couldn’t protect my entire body. Realizing the situation was dire, I hurriedly turned off my flashlight to avoid being seen. In his panic, he fired several shots but missed me. I rolled over to the edge of the rocks, picked up a stone, and began to smash the protruding gun barrel. After a few hits, I bent it at a ninety-degree angle.
Old Yang couldn’t pull it out and cursed in anger. I sneered, “What a coincidence! I don’t believe Old Yang would shoot at me. You’re just a cheap imitation!” Ever since Old Yang mentioned the materialization of living beings, I had a nagging feeling. There was this ancient bronze tree here, and it surely had a purpose. Could the beings created by such an almost terrifying ability be normal people? Were they really like us? Or could they be some kind of monster?
Now it seemed that this “person,” whether or not he was like us, clearly knew he was materialized. For some reason, I felt that things were getting worse.
After exchanging insults for a while, Old Yang suddenly seemed to think of something and fell silent. Then he turned off his flashlight, plunging the entire space into darkness. The endless blackness pressed in, making the already confined space feel even heavier.
I was on guard for any tricks he might have, huddling in my corner, when he said, “Old Wu, I remember you were most afraid of the dark when you were a child. Are you scared now? But don’t let your imagination run wild. Remember what I just told you? If you think too much in this place, be careful when you turn on your light; you might see a dead person’s face right in front of you.”
I cursed inwardly. This guy wanted me to conjure up some monster out of my fear of the dark. I told myself I absolutely couldn’t let him succeed, but I felt a growing fear. What he said about seeing a dead face when the flashlight was turned on sent my nerves into overdrive. I immediately felt something appear just a few centimeters in front of me. The warm breath I exhaled hit that thing, bouncing back to my face, bringing with it a foul, rancid smell.
No way, I thought. Based on Old Yang’s earlier behavior, the ability to materialize was very difficult to control; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been so helpless against the giant-eyed black snake. It shouldn’t be this easy to conjure a monster.
It’s an illusion, I told myself. Don’t fall for his trick. In such a confined, dark space, fear was definitely present.
I took a deep breath, and suddenly, my face felt wet, as if a cold object had brushed past me. I broke out in a cold sweat, nearly wetting my pants. Cautiously, I touched my chest; my heart was racing, and I felt weak all over. Damn it, this time it was no mistake—there was indeed something lurking in the darkness.
I didn’t dare to turn on my flashlight. I slowly leaned back, trying to press against the stone wall, but as soon as my back touched it, I realized it wasn’t stone at all, but rather a series of scales… I could even feel the muscles writhing beneath the scales.
Goodness, what was I thinking? How could there be scales behind me? I quickly closed my eyes, gripping my flashlight tightly and raising it in front of me. Just as I was about to turn it on, I suddenly heard “Old Yang” feigning a scream, “Old Wu, why aren’t you turning on the flashlight? Let me shine it for you!”
Then his flashlight lit up, and I was startled to see a massive python head rising right in front of my nose. Its body, as thick as a barrel, coiled around the cave. The rocks above my head and behind me had transformed into a wall of scales, dark as jewels. As Old Yang’s flashlight disturbed the surroundings, the scales around me began to twitch, and the body slowly rubbed against the walls, emitting a chilling hissing sound.
